By SUZANNE DOWNING
Sept. 21, 2026 — Anthropic, the California company behind the Claude chatbot, has put $40 million into a political effort to shape the debate over artificial intelligence regulation in Congress, according to a New York Post report.
The spending mirrors what is happening in the Alaska’s governor’s race, where employees of Anthropic have become major donors to Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins.
Anthropic made two $20 million contributions to Public First Action, a super PAC that supports candidates who favor stronger AI oversight, the Post reported. That political spending is separate from the company’s direct lobbying expenses, which the Post said reached $2 million in its most recent quarterly disclosure.
The dispute in Washington is over what new AI rules would do. Anthropic argues that increasingly powerful systems need independent evaluation, transparency and safeguards against dangerous uses. Critics quoted by the Post contend that a regulatory system could also give established companies an advantage over smaller competitors that cannot afford to comply. That concern remains an argument about the possible effects of regulation, not proof of Anthropic’s motive.
In Alaska, six Anthropic employees gave Kreiss-Tomkins a combined $372,000. The largest contribution, $100,000, came from Drake Thomas, who grew up in Soldotna and now lives in California. Kreiss-Tomkins told Alaska Public Media that Thomas introduced him to other employees who then supported his candidacy.
Those were contributions from individuals high up in the company. Kreiss-Tomkins has said the donors share his interest in regulating AI and that their support does not determine his positions on specific policies.
Kreiss-Tomkins has called for a temporary halt to new data center development until the Legislature adopts comprehensive statewide regulations. He has also advocated rules addressing AI fraud, political deepfakes, protections for children and liability for harms caused by AI products.
Data centers are a practical concern for Alaska because large facilities can require substantial electricity and other infrastructure. A moratorium would pause new development while lawmakers set the terms under which projects could proceed. The details of any eventual bill would determine its effects on prospective developers, customers and competitors.
The Post’s reporting shows Anthropic is willing to spend heavily to influence AI policy at the federal level. The Alaska donations show that people who work for the company have also invested heavily in one candidate for governor.
It does leave a question Alaskans are right to wonder about: What specific rules would come with his proposed data center moratorium, and how would he ensure that any broader AI regulations treat competing companies equally?
